Comedy fans not laughing about Hamer Hall’s ‘ridiculous’ rule

Some fans attending a stand-up comedy show at the Arts Centre on Tuesday night were left fuming after they found themselves locked out of the remainder of the show after taking a toilet break.

Fans at Bridges' show were not allowed back in after using the toilet. Picture: Instagram

Fans attending comedian Kevin Bridges’ show in Melbourne on Tuesday night were left outraged after they were refused access back into the stand-up act after using the toilet.

The Scottish comedian’s show, located at Hamer Hall in the Arts Centre, lasted for an hour and 15 minutes and had no interval.

A patron who attended the show told the Herald Sun there was one fan who explained to staff she was on her period, but still wasn’t exempt from the strict rule.

“There was a girl who had to explain to the stewards that she was on her period and leaking through her clothes and still they told her, if she left the auditorium to use the toilets which were three metres away, she would not be allowed back in,” she said.

The Scottish stand-up comedian came to Australia as part of his world tour. Picture: Instagram

One fan who explained to staff she was on her period, but still wasn’t exempt from the strict rules. Picture: HWT Library

“There were 20 people stuck out there and we all started kicking off. 30 minutes later a woman came out and said ‘fine you can go back in’.”

The patron became trapped outside of the show after she went looking for her husband who had gone to the toilet.

“I went outside to find him and when I found him trapped I said to the staff member, ‘this is ridiculous can he be let back in’,” she said.

“I didn’t even completely exit the hall and then they said to me you’re not getting back in either – and my handbag was left on the seat.

“We paid $100 for these tickets, is it even legal to stop you from going to the bathroom?”

She said she had never seen the “crazy” regulation enforced before at any of his other shows.

“Whenever he then made a joke about toilets or bathrooms during the rest of the show, people from the crowd were shouting out ‘and you’re not even letting us go for a pee’,” she said.

“The workers were saying the production team were the ones making the decision, they were just under instruction.”

Arts Centre Melbourne Performing Arts Executive Director Melanie Smith:
“Some shows at Arts Centre Melbourne’s venues have no-admission periods once they have begun. No-admission periods are often put in place for a variety of reasons, depending on the nature of the performance including to prevent distractions to the audience and artist.

“Patrons at the Kevin Bridges show last night were provided access to the toilets during the performance and were advised they would not be re admitted once they left due to a no-admission period.

“The Kevin Bridges show held at Hamer Hall had a 25-minute support act, a 15-minute interval followed by the main performance for 1-hour 15minutes. Arts Centre Melbourne is always working to provide the best experience for visitors.”

Bridges is touring Australia and New Zealand in November, as part of his national tour.